JICA calls for young Filipinos on disaster preparedness training

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is calling out for young Filipinos to join the disaster management training in Japan which is called JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program. This is an initiative meant to boost the country’s disaster preparedness based on the learning they get from Japan’s knowledge and experiences in addressing the needs of its partner countries.

Since both Japan and the Philippines are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the two countries are vulnerable to earthquakes and natural disasters. With this, JICA Chief Representative Susumu Ito said that the organization is “committed to help the Philippines achieve resilience towards long-term economic growth and sustainable development.”

The training will be running from July 9-26, an 18-day course on Regional Revitalization in Disaster Prone Area. This is open to Filipinos between the ages of 20-35 years old.

From the said training, trainees will learn from the recovery and rehabilitation efforts of Japan during the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami back in 2011. they will also attend lectures in a research center by the Tohoku University after the said disaster in Japan.

Ian James Secillano, Municipal DRRM Officer of Libon Albay said that their learning from Japan’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management inspired them to improve the system in the Philippines. “It challenged us to realize those dreams despite the cultural and institutional differences we have with Japan and the many challenges we face in our respective offices and institutions,” he said.

JICA, an institution geared to promoting cooperation between Japan and the global economy, was already able to train about 40,000 Filipinos in Japan, studying agriculture, healthy, business, and more.